Heat-retaining garment



April 12 1927. 1,623,993

' A.'E. ANDERSON HEAT RETAINING GARMEET Filed Sept. 27. 1922 Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

lll'lEl.) STATES misses;

Fa rer orricn.

ARVID E. ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASEIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AIRUBBER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HEAT-RETAINING GARMENT.

Application filed September 2'7, 1922. Serial No. 590,985.

This invent-ion relates to a garment which may be used either as an ordinary article of apparel or it may be inflated to form air pockets and thereby become more heat preserving for the wearer, and itmay also be utilized, by inflating it as a bouyant supporter in the water. The principal object of the invention is'to provide a garment of this kind which is simple and compact in construction, easily inflatable and adjustable for different sizes.

In the accompanying" drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates the garment in the form of a vest as applied to the body of a wearer; Fig. 2 shows the vest alone in extended form; 3 is a sectional view of one side of the vest taken on the line 3-3 of 2; and Fig. 4- is a section taken on the line H of Fig. 2.

The body may be kept warm by wearing a garment which excludes the cold of the atmosphere, and by providing a garment of this kind with an air pocket, the body is not only kept warmer, but the air pocket itself prevents much of the external cold from reaching the inner surface of the garment or coming in contact with the body. To this may be added the additional warmth which will come from inflating the pockets with heated air as from the lungs of a wearer, or from any other source of heated air. A garment of this kind may be used in cold weather, or in cold water as it is a material assistance in retaining the heat of the body and in excluding cold air or water from the parts covered by the garment.

The garment illustrated in the present invention is in the form of a vest comprising front pieces 1 and 2 connected by back pieces 3 with an ordinary strap and buckle device 4 at the back for varying the dimensions of the garment to fit the wearer. Attached to one of the front pieces is a flap 5 which extends below the other front piece and any suitable fastening device may be used for connecting the front pieces 1 and 2. For example, a number of straps 6 may be attached to one of the front pieces each hav ing a plurality of button holes 7 for engaging corresponding buttons 8 on the other front piece. Connecting the front pieces are neck bands 9 attached to the upper ends of the back pieces 3.

Each of the front pieces is formed of at air tight material on the other side.

least two sheets of rubberized fabric or of fabric 10 with a coating 11 of rubber or other These sheets of coated fabric may be stit hed or otherwise secured together around the edges, and they are also vlucanized around the edges to leave a central unobstructed pocket which may contain air or other fluid or liquid. For the purpose of forming more nearly air tight container, a strip 12 of vulcanising rubber is folded upon itself with the folded edge outermost and inserted between the two adjacent rubberized fabric sheets. and then this strip 12 is vulcanized to both of the sheets, the edges 13 outside of the strip 12 also adhering so that an inner air pocket 14 is made in each side of the garment front occupying substantially the whole extent thereof excepting around the edge where the fabric sheets are secured together. The neck bands 9 are likewise secured together and connecting the pockets 14: to the neck bands is a tube 15 which is vulcanized in place in the neck band, and about its connection with the pockets 14 by means of the strip 12 which divides the pockets.

At one side of the garment front is a valve 16 inserted in the tube 17 preferably of rubber which is in turn vulcanized to the interior of the fabric sheets making communication wit-h the pocket- 14, and the tube extending beyond the inner end of the valve 16 so that this portion of the tube can be closed by pressing it between the fingers to prevent escape of air in inflating the pockets. Extending over the valve is a flap 18 having a button hole 19 for attaching it to the opposite portion of the garment by means of a button 20 and this flap serves to cover and protect the valve. valve may be of any suitable form, the one shown having a cap 21 rotatable on a stem to open and close the valve.

With this construction it is obvious that the inflation of one side of the garment will be communicated to the other side by means of a tube 15, and as the valve is near the top of the garment it can be inflated without removing the garment from the body of the wearer. The garment shown can be worn beneath the ordmary clothes or over them and inflated or not, as desired. The

The

fastening shown is capable of some adjustment to accommodate it to the body of the wearer, but other fastenings or adjusting means may be employed, By making this garment of fabric coated with rubber, it can be .made ,quickly. andinexpensive, and by vulcanizing theredges thepockets will be made air tight. ii v I claim:

1. A vest-like garment comprising side air pockets formed ofrtwo thicknesses of rubberized fabric with the rubber surfaces placed together and vulcanized at the edges and the fabric side forming the outer material of the vest, and a tube connecting the air pockets at the tops and extending about the neck-band of the garment.

2. A heat retaining garment comprising pairs of sheets of rubberized material with the rubberized surfaces abutting, means for vulcanizing the sheets, together about their edges to form pockets, tubular means vulcanized between the sheets "for connecting the pockets, and a valve for one of the pockets by means of which all of the pockets may be inflated.

3. In a garment of-the class described, a pair of sheets and means for connecting them about their edges to form an air tight pocket, a valve for the pocket, and a flexible ing the valve and with co-operating means for attaching it to the opposite front part and an air tight tube connecting the pockets.

ARVID E, ANDERSON. 

